Help, Virus!

God's_Child · 11-23-2007, 05:49 PM

Hi, everyone!
Please, I need your help and advice...
Last Sunday my anti virus program Avast discovered a virus Trojan on my computer, somewhere in the system files of the Windows. It was deleted but the Windows stopped working well. So we had to reinstall the Windows and other programs.

My question is: How could that virus enter my computer? Through Internet or e-mail? And why didn't my antivirus program notice it at once?

Well, I don't want it happen to me again. So what should I do?

John S. · 11-23-2007, 05:51 PM

Avast should have caught it before the damage was done.

But email attachments, installing applications, even some malicious websites can spread virii. On my daughters Windows pc, I use AVGFree.

Even email attachments from people you know could be infected, many virii search through your address book, unbeknownst to you, and email themselves to all your friends. That's one method they use to spread so fast.

Boanerges · 11-23-2007, 05:59 PM

It can be as simple as opening an email or clicking on a link. Keep you virus scan up to date. Run Adaware or another freeware spyware remover.If you get and remove a virus then find you your system is not running quite right it may be simpler to run system restore and move your settings back to a previous date.

God's_Child · 11-23-2007, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Avast should have caught it before the damage was done.

But email attachments, installing applications, even some malicious websites can spread virii. On my daughters Windows pc, I use AVGFree.

Even email attachments from people you know could be infected, many virii search through your address book, unbeknownst to you, and email themselves to all your friends. That's one method they use to spread so fast.

Thanks...
Is AVG better? Isn't Avast checking the attachments in e-mails?
And can I use both Avast and AVGfree?

God's_Child · 11-23-2007, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boanerges

Keep you virus scan up to date. Run Adaware or another freeware spyware remover...

Well, I always update my anti virus program...
SO what is "Adaware or another freeware spyware remover". All I have is Avast and that is all.
Please, can you recommend me something giving me a link?

Thank you for your help...

John S. · 11-23-2007, 06:13 PM

I've never used Avast, but Boanerges' is quite correct, you need a good spyware application as well. I forgot to mention that, since I switched to a Mac a couple years ago, it's not something I think about alot. We use Ad-Aware for spyware on her machine.

I referred AVGFree because I know it updates it's virus signatures daily and my daughters pc has been clean thus far. There's no need to run two different virus protection applications. They could conflict with each other because they're constantly monitoring in the background.

Boanerges · 11-23-2007, 06:26 PM

I have used Avast with no problems for years. AVG is also fine.
You can find alot of nice freeware applications here:
http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/

And for this particular problem check this section
Security-Privacy

or here:
http://www.snapfiles.com/topdownload...top100-25.html

Pastor Gary · 11-23-2007, 07:30 PM

In addition to AVAST, you may also wish to check on these two spyware and registry protections:

Ad-Aware SE
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ (click on the FREE version on the right)

AND

SpyWare Blaster
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

My network has had NO infiltrations of any kind since these three were installed in 2002.

Housesitter · 11-23-2007, 08:57 PM

To add to what the other have said.

Yyou also need a good Firewall. I use Comodo it is free and very good.

You ask about using 2 anti virus programmes. Not a good idea. Avast is great although for myself I prefer AVG (free) and I update is daily.

Finally in addition to ad aware and spyware blaster I use Spybot Search and Destroy (free) and it has an imunize feature that is excellent. Again updat frequently at least once a week.

Whirlwind · 11-23-2007, 10:12 PM

Keep all of these nifty little programs up to date, too. If you're bad at it (like me) then put them on auto-update every day.

You can all sorts of neat gizmos on your computer, but none of them will help you if they're out of date.

I myself use AVG Free Edition, Spybot Search & Destroy, Lavasoft, and for my email I have Spambayes. Also, once in a while, I'll use Microsoft Malicious Spyware Removal Tool.

New viruses come out all the time, just like in nature. Before there can be a vaccine, the virus has to come out. The companies work fast to identify these viruses and build the appropriate fixes for them...but they can't fix what hasn't come out yet.

Spambayes will help you with the email part by identifying people that only you chose to receive mail from. This automatically picks out known junk mail senders; those that it isn't sure about it will put into a Possible Junk folder that you can go through and ID for yourself. My main rule is...if I don't know the person sending it, I don't open any attachments, period.

Internet pages can give you a virus, too. Lavasoft will give your computer files to be on the lookout for.

Watch out what kind of "toys" you download from the internet, too. Some toys like weatherbugs and such can change your computer into an ad-monster. Instead of your normal home-page, an ad-screen will pop up. These are hijacks, and some of them are nearly impossible to destroy!

If you can't help it and just need that nifty little freeware internet toy, then make a special folder on your C-drive and name it "downloads". Whenever you download something off the internet, save it to this folder (NEVER click Run From Current Location). Find the file you just downloaded, and then do a special virus scan on this software from that location. It's just like sending a mysterious package through an X-ray machine before you open it.

Good luck!

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